Vocab Unit 1 Flashcards
world geography
field of study that tries to make sense of the world around us; helps us understand how people, places, and environments came to be and how they impact each other
projection map
systematic transformation of the latitudes and longitudes of locations on the surface of a sphere (or ellipsoid) into locations on a plane
geographic information system (GIS)
technology that uses digital map information to create a data bank; different “data layers” can be combined to produce specialized maps, which allow geographers ti analyze different aspects of a specific place to solve problems
global positioning system (GPS)
space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on or near the earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites
atmosphere
layer of gases surrounding a planet
lithosphere
solid, rocky crust covering the entire planet; inorganic; composed of minerals
hydrosphere
composed of all the water on or near the earth; includes oceans, rivers, lakes, and even moisture in the air; 97% of earth’s water is in the oceans, remaining 3% is fresh water, 3/4 of which is solid and exists in ice sheets
biosphere
composed of all living organisms; plants, animals, and single-celled organisms
pangea
super continent that included all of the land on earth; broke up about 200 mil years ago
weathering
the breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on the earth’s surface; water, ice, acids, salt, plants, animals, and changes in temperature; no rock on earth is strong enough to resist
erosion
process that transports the bits of rock and minerals away
continentality
the degree to which the climate of a region typifies that of the interior of a large landmass
ecosystem
interaction of living and nonliving things in an environment
biome
area of the planet that can be classified according to the plants and animals that live in it; temperature, soil, and amount of sunlight and water help determine what life exists in which biome
deciduous forest
vegetation composed primarily of broad-leaved trees that shed all their leaves during one season; arid regions along stream banks and around bodies of water
coniferous forest
vegetation composed primarily of cone-bearing, needle-leaved, or scale-leaved evergreen trees’ found in regions of the world that have long winters and moderate to high annual precipitation; mountains
taiga
northern eurasian coniferous forest is called the taiga, or the boreal forest; both terms are used to describe the entire circumpolar coniferous forest with its many lakes, bogs, and rivers
rain forest
a dense evergreen forest with an annual rainfall of at least 406 cm (160 in); often located in tropical regions, but not always
savanna
grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently spaced out so that the canopy doesn’t close; cover 20% of the earths land area
steppe
dry, grassy plain; occur in temperate climates, which lie between the tropics and polar regions; semiarid, meaning they receive 25-50 cm (10-20 in) of rain annually; enough rain only to support short grasses
environmental protection agency (EPA)
mission: protect human health and the environment
air quality index (AQI)
number used by government agencies to communicate to the public how polluted the air is currently or how polluted it is forecast to become; higher the number, higher the pollution
alluvial fan
triangle-shaped deposit of gravel, sand, and even smaller pieces of sediment, such as silt; this sediment is called alluvium
location
q: where? a: absolute (exact location on the earth) (ie lat & lon); relative (in relation to something else) (ie near, to the left of, etc)
place
q: what is it like? a: based on climate, terrain, vegetation, land forms, population
region
q: how are places similar/different? a: region one- formal (defined border; definite boundary) (ie country, state, personal property, etc) region two- functional (multiple parts working together) (ie alliances) region three- perceptual (no set border; objective; people have different perspectives or definitions) (ie midwest, southwest, monsoon asia, middle east)
human environment interaction (HEI)
q: how do people relate to the physical world? a: agriculture, natural resources (oil, timber, coal, natural gas, solar, wind, etc), air conditioning, transporting resources, recreation purposes
movement
q: how do people, ideas, and goods travel from one place to another? a: people and goods- cars, planes, trains, etc ideas; mouth to mouth, letters, reading, technology
five themes of geography
MR LIP movement, region, location, human environment interaction, place
field of study that tries to make sense of the world around us; helps us understand how people, places, and environments came to be and how they impact each other
world geography
systematic transformation of the latitudes and longitudes of locations on the surface of a sphere (or ellipsoid) into locations on a plane
projection map
technology that uses digital map information to create a data bank; different “data layers” can be combined to produce specialized maps, which allow geographers to analyze different aspects of a specific place to solve problems
geographic information system (GIS)
space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on or near the earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites
global positioning system (GPS)
layer of gases surrounding a planet
atmosphere
solid, rocky crust covering the entire planet; inorganic; composed of minerals
lithosphere
composed of all the water on or near the earth; includes oceans, rivers, lakes, and even moisture in the air; 97% of earth’s water is in the oceans, remaining 3% is fresh water, 3/4 of which is solid and exists in ice sheets
hydrosphere
composed of all living organisms; plants, animals, and single-celled organisms
biosphere
super continent that included all of the land on earth; broke up about 200 mil years ago
pangea
the breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on the earth’s surface; water, ice, acids, salt, plants, animals, and changes in temperature; no rock on earth is strong enough to resist
weathering
process that transports the bits of rock and minerals away
erosion
the degree to which the climate of a region typifies that of the interior of a large landmass
continentality
interaction of living and nonliving things in an environment
ecosystem
area of the planet that can be classified according to the plants and animals that live in it; temperature, soil, and amount of sunlight and water help determine what life exists in which biome
biome
vegetation composed primarily of broad-leaved trees that shed all their leaves during one season; arid regions along stream banks and around bodies of water
deciduous forest
vegetation composed primarily of cone-bearing, needle-leaved, or scale-leaved evergreen trees’ found in regions of the world that have long winters and moderate to high annual precipitation; mountains
coniferous forest
northern eurasian coniferous forest is called the taiga, or the boreal forest; both terms are used to describe the entire circumpolar coniferous forest with its many lakes, bogs, and rivers
taiga
a dense evergreen forest with an annual rainfall of at least 406 cm (160 in); often located in tropical regions, but not always
rain forest
grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently spaced out so that the canopy doesn’t close; cover 20% of the earths land area
savanna
dry, grassy plain; occur in temperate climates, which lie between the tropics and polar regions; semiarid, meaning they receive 25-50 cm (10-20 in) of rain annually; enough rain only to support short grasses
steppe
mission: protect human health and the environment
environmental protection agency (EPA)
number used by government agencies to communicate to the public how polluted the air is currently or how polluted it is forecast to become; higher the number, higher the pollution
air quality index (AQI)
triangle-shaped deposit of gravel, sand, and even smaller pieces of sediment, such as silt; this sediment is called alluvium
alluvial fan
q: where? a: absolute (exact location on the earth) (ie lat & lon); relative (in relation to something else) (ie near, to the left of, etc)
location
q: what is it like? a: based on climate, terrain, vegetation, land forms, population
place
q: how are places similar/different? a: region one- formal (defined border; definite boundary) (ie country, state, personal property, etc) region two- functional (multiple parts working together) (ie alliances) region three- perceptual (no set border; objective; people have different perspectives or definitions) (ie midwest, southwest, monsoon asia, middle east)
region
q: how do people relate to the physical world? a: agriculture, natural resources (oil, timber, coal, natural gas, solar, wind, etc), air conditioning, transporting resources, recreation purposes
human environment interaction (HEI)
q: how do people, ideas, and goods travel from one place to another? a: people and goods- cars, planes, trains, etc ideas; mouth to mouth, letters, reading, technology
movement
MR LIP movement, region, location, human environment interaction, place
five themes of geography
